


The Cat Princess

by AwayLaughing



Category: Naruto
Genre: Cats, Domestic Fluff, Dorks in Love, Fluff and Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-08
Updated: 2016-10-08
Packaged: 2018-08-20 03:43:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8234918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/pseuds/AwayLaughing
Summary: A cat keeps breaking into their house - which shouldn't be an issue for two shinobi. Sadly, fuzzy faces with large eyes are more dangerous to home security than nukenin and burglers.OrShikamaru and Neji adopt another cat.





	

Neji blamed Shikamaru.

 

Admittedly, this was slightly unfair as Shikamaru was as baffled as he was, but he blamed him all the same. “This is your fault,” he said.

 

“How?” Shikamaru asked.

 

“Because it’s not mine,” Neji said.

 

“And it has to be someone’s?” Shikamaru asked.

 

“Yes,” Neji said.

 

“Mrrp,” the cat on the counter said.

 

“You need to leave,” Neji said.

 

The cat, naturally, jumped off the counter with a soft thump, looking up at them expectantly. “No,” Neji said and in response the somewhat ratty ginger feline twined around his ankles. “We already have two of you,” he explained. “We don’t want any more,” he looked over to Shikamaru. “I don’t want any more,” he amended.

 

“I have nothing to do with this,” Shikamaru said, arms crossed and hip cocked against the counter. “And my coffee’s not ready, so maybe don’t push it.”

 

Dark eyes met white. Below them, amber eyes looked up, totally unaware of the issues their owner was causing. Shikamaru caved first, looking down at the cat.

 

“I vote that it’s _your_ fault,” he said to the cat.

 

“Mrrp,” the cat said.

 

 _Beep_ went the coffee machine.

 

* * *

 

 

It was rainy, it was cold and Neji hadn’t been home in three days. So arriving was a wonderful feeling. Finding a half familiar orange fuzzball on the stoop was not.

 

“No,” he said as he opened the door and the cat tried to nudge its way through.

 

“Hello to you too, lover,” Shikamaru said and Neji looked up and then down pointedly. “Ah,” Shikamaru said. “Good to know I haven’t become suddenly hideous.”

 

Despite himself, Neji looked back up, smiling slightly. “I assure you, _you_ are a sight for sore eyes.”

 

“That’s not literal, I hope,” Shikamaru said, coming over and scooping the cat up. It made a small sound of protest and tried to climb over his shoulder, presumably into the house, but Shikamaru firmly sat it out on one of the porch chairs. “Look,” he said, “it’s soft, and it’s dry, and it’s the best you’re going to get.”

 

The cat swished its tail, but did stay put and Neji closed the door behind Shikamaru.

 

“Someone-” Shikamaru started, but Neji cut him off with a firm kiss.

 

“We’re not talking about the cat,” Neji said seriously.

 

“No?”

 

“No. I am having a shower,” Neji said. “And then I am going to bed.”

 

“Tired, huh?” Shikamaru asked, doing a good impression of an idiot.

 

“Not remotely.”

 

* * *

 

 

The cat was an out of sight, out of mind problem, being entirely honest, and it was out of Neji’s sight for many weeks after that. The few moments he spared to think of it were just spent assuming whoever had been feeding it had finally taken in it in. That, or it wandered into a seal in the forest but Shikamaru had hit him over the head when he said that and said the seals took _being a cat_ into account.

 

It did confirm, at least roundaboutly, that some of the seals in the forest were going to be very nasty for any unaware humans who wandered into them. Which just proved Neji’s long standing point about Naras and their very strange priorities. Shikamaru thought that saving a squirrel was completely worth the work of having a seal that could register summons as well as human presences, which just sealed the deal.

 

His boyfriend was insane. Of course, he was _Neji’s boyfriend_ which, with or without a forest full of life threatening seals required certain levels of crazy, so he shouldn’t have been surprised.

 

And anyway, Shikamaru’s insanity wasn’t the point now the point was the cat. Or the cats – his and it – and the fact they were colluding.

 

“It probably has flees, you know,” he said to Kata and Fuyu upon coming home from the morning market to find them all curled up together on his side of the bed. Shikamaru was still fast asleep.

 

“Who has fleas?” his still largely asleep boyfriend asked.

 

“The cat,” Neji said.

 

“Which one?” Shikamaru asked.

 

“The one who’s not ours,” Neji said. “And stop carrying a conversation with me while asleep.”

 

“No,” Shikamaru said. “Just throw it outside.”

 

Neji was going to, honestly but...

 

“I still feel cats,” Shikamaru said. He sounded...smug.

 

“You want to keep it,” Neji said.

 

“You want to keep it,” Shikamaru said.

 

“I do not,” Neji said.

 

“Hmm,” Shikamaru said and pulled the blanket up a little higher.

 

* * *

 

 

They kept the cat of course, though did almost lose her to the bath that ensued upon agreeing to keep her. But apparently the promises of food and cuddles was worth being dunked and scrubbed by cruel humans, and a week later Neji was basically used to the extra fuzzy body to feed and an extra litter box to clean.

 

Especially because this one seemed to like him quite a bit.

 

“Hime,” he said seriously, looking down at the fluffy creature on his lap. “I really do need to go on my mission.”

 

“Just move her,” Shikamaru said from the door to the kitchen. Neji glared.

 

“You _know_ it’s not that easy.”


End file.
